St. Matthew's Restoration Project Recognized

Written by Margret Brady

On a blustery evening in February, St. Matthew's Anglican Church received an Architectural Conservation certificate of merit for restoration in a ceremony at City Hall. The church was in good company. Awards of excellence for restoration (2007/2008) were presented for work completed on the Governor General's residence as well as the Conservation District.

Presented by Councillor Clive Doucet, the certificate for St. Matthew's restoration project recognized Robert Martin and James Maddigan of Robertson Martin Architects, architect Chris Borgal, Khaled Ibrahim of KIB Consultants Inc. and Jonathan Morin, Marc and Joshua Johnston of Atwill-Morin () Inc. Most of them attended the ceremony introduced by Mayor Larry O'Brien.

Architect Robert Martin was also recognized for his work on the restoration of facade.

Parishioners Beric Graham-Smith and Douglas Robar received the certificate on behalf of St. Matthew's. Former parishioner Bob Breiithaupt, who moved to Nova Scotia a couple of years ago, played a key role in the project as did Tom Martin, chair of the finance committee.

"I'd just like to say what an agreeable project this was to work on," said Mr. Graham-Smith, who was involved in the three-phase project from its inception. "I would like to congratulate the architects and contractors and the co-operative way in which they worked on the project."

Jonathan Morin, president of Atwill-Morin (Ontario) Inc., said he was thrilled by the recognition and the results of the project.

St. Mathew's was constructed between 1929 and 1931 during the Depression. Designed by Architect Cecil Burgess, the neo-Gothic building sustained serious damage to its exterior masonry caused by the application of a protective lead-based coating on the mortar that trapped moisture behind the stone. During the restoration, stone roof parapets were dismantled, the Bell Tower was restored and sections of the original slate roof were restored in the restoration that began in 2005.

First presented in 1981, the awards recognize the commitment of individuals, especially volunteers, to conservation, said Mayor O'Brien in his opening remarks.

The annual Ottawa Architectural Conservation awards recognize excellence in the preservation of the City's architectural heritage in the categories of restoration, adaptive use and infill, which means an addition to a historic building or new construction within a historic context.

"Let's continue to make landmarks not landfills," said Carolyn Quinn, director of communications for the Heritage Canada Foundation in her speech at the ceremony.

Margret Brady is a parishioner at St. Matthew's